Applied English and Communications: 10-12 Composition
Date:______________
Name:__________________________
Teacher:_______________ Per:______
Concluding Paragraphs
Start strong…finish even stronger.
Consider the following:
 What have your proven through your essay?
 How can you restate your thesis in a way that is refreshing, and not redundant?
 What new information will you state to extend your argument? Think about why people should care
about the opinion being stated at the end.
Sentence Starters for the Conclusion:
As a result
In sum
Consequently
Therefore
Hence
Thus
In conclusion
To sum up
In short
To summarize
Examples:
As a result of the many reasons raised by Baron and Lewis of how English is beneficial to the success of all
American citizens, English should be the official language of the nation.
Therefore, while there are several reasons why making English the official language could be beneficial, the
arguments presented by Marquez and Lee prove why it is much more important to allow America to be a
country of many languages rather than just one.
To summarize, even though Marquez and Lee present various reasons why English should not be the official
language of America, Baron and Lewis render equally credible arguments that make it clear that there is not a
single, simple answer to this debate.
Sentence Starters for Extending Your Argument:
Furthermore
Then
Ultimately
In addition
In other words
Additionally
Since
After all
So
That is
Examples:
As a result of the many reasons raised by Baron and Lewis of how English is beneficial to the success of all
American citizens, English should be the official language of the nation. After all, America was founded on the
principle that everyone should have an equal chance of success in this country and in order to do so, everyone
should begin at the same linguistic starting line by knowing English.
The Pride of 2013: Become Legendary
Therefore, while there are several reasons why making English the official language could be beneficial, the
arguments presented by Marquez and Lee prove why it is much more important to allow America to be a
country of many languages rather than just one. Ultimately, the success of the country should be determined
by the hard work and dedication of their citizens, and not by what language they speak.
To summarize, even though Marquez and Lee present various reasons why English should not be the official
language of America, Baron and Lewis render equally credible arguments that make it clear that there is not a
single, simple answer to this debate. In other words, there are many reasons why people should be strongly
encouraged to learn English, but mandating it as an official language may not be the best way to do this.
Finishing your essay:
Appositive Phrases (subordinating clauses starting with an antecedent like “a” or “the”)
Participial Phrases (subordinating clauses starting with an –ing word)
Absolute Phrases (subordinating clauses starting with a possessive pronoun like “his,” “her,” or “their”)
Examples:
As a result of the many reasons raised by Baron and Lewis of how English is beneficial to the success of all
American citizens, English should be the official language of the nation. After all, America was founded on the
principle that everyone should have an equal chance of success in this country and in order to do so, everyone
should begin at the same linguistic starting line by knowing English. The core belief on which immigrants first
came to America, the American Dream can best be accomplished for everyone by making sure that the
country’s citizens can all communicate in same language: English.
Therefore, while there are several reasons why making English the official language could be beneficial, the
arguments presented by Marquez and Lee prove why it is much more important to allow America to be a
country of many languages rather than just one. Ultimately, the success of the country should be determined
by the hard work and dedication of their citizens, and not by what language they speak. Reasoning that
America’s diverse cultures is what makes it so successful, Marquez and Lee undoubtedly demonstrate why
America should never have an official language.
To summarize, even though Marquez and Lee present various reasons why English should not be the official
language of America, Baron and Lewis render equally credible arguments that make it clear that there is not a
single, simple answer to this debate. In other words, there are many reasons why people should be strongly
encouraged to learn English, but mandating it as an official language may not be the best way to do this. Their
arguments respectively balancing each other out, the essays of Marquez, Lee, Baron, and Lewis provide the
foundation for a rich discussion that should be further deliberated in the halls of Congress, as well as the
streets of America’s immigrants.
The Pride of 2013: Become Legendary